Different
by Crims0nfire
Summary: She was never supposed to stand out. Her power was supposed to be a myth, unattainable but sought after. Her potential caught the interest of the King when she was a child. Now, Prince Vegeta is determined to have her for himself, as different as she is. All she ever wanted was to survive. Now she will have to fight to do so. Niona. Call her Niona.
1. Chapter 1

**Give the story a chance! Enjoy!**

In the slums of a small saiyan city, Aprio, a small girl, no older than eight years, hid in an alley.

She was cold, tired, hungry, and scared. She turned when she felt a slight tugging of her tattered clothes. "It's alright Om. I'll find us food…soon." She reassured the small albino Kereiq as she petted his white fur. He looked at her; huge black eyes stared at her disbelievingly.

The girl sighed and wrapped her ragged clothes—or what was left of them—around her body in a futile attempt to retain keep warm. Om whimpered as she shivered and curled up by her side. "Ouch! Om, you're stepping on my tail." She hissed. Om cocked his head, but stepped off her tail and resumed trotting in a circle before eventually curling up to fall asleep.

The girl tucked her tail in in her skirt, hiding it. Soon after, she too gave into her fatigue and hunger and fell asleep.

**.0.**

"_My daughter. My beautiful daughter." _

_It was dark. The girl could see no one but she could hear the unmistakable sound of her mother's voice._

"_Mama? Mama! I'm here mama!" She searched frantically, chasing the disembodied voice in the blinding darkness._

"_You must live, my beautiful daughter. I cannot stay with you." The voice said._

"_Why not? Mama! Where are you? Tell me so I can find you! Don't leave me alone! Mama, I don't want to be alone!" She ran, tripping over her own feet, as the voice continued to fade away._

"_You must live…" _

"_Mama! Mama!" _

**.0.**

"Mama…uhn…Mama!"

The girl jerked awake, looking around frantically, only to find Om whimpering sympathetically at her feet.

"It's okay…it was only a dream." She said more to herself than Om.

She picked the small Kerieq up, placed him in her lap, and began to stroke his fur to soothe him while singing a song her mother had taught her.

_Little one, little one, don't you fear._

_For I will always be besides you_

_Little one, little one, don't you fear_

_For I will always guide you._

_Your journey has only just begun_

_Dangers you will face, Love you will dread_

_But little one, little one don't you fear_

_I will help you find your way._

She repeated the song with soft hums, while Om purred in her lap.

"Hey!"

Her song was cut short by the burly voice. "You shouldn't be here little girl." She peeked at the owner of the voice. It was a man. A big, fat man.

"Hey are you listening? You are supposed to be outside. It's mandatory. Look at me while I'm talking to you!" The man's meaty hand clamped down at her shoulder and frightened, she looked up.

When the man saw her eyes, he jumped back, and he cleared his throat. "Ah…W-well, you should not be here. Go on out." The man shooed her away and she picked Om up and made her way out of the alley.

The man stared after the girl, disturbed.

And under his breath he muttered, "Freak."

**.0.**

The streets seemed to be bustling with excitement. People stood on the sidewalks, pressed against one another, staring down the road, as if they were anticipating something.

The girl went unnoticed as she weaved about and under people's legs to get to the front of the sidewalk. She saw nothing coming down the road but she did spot a food vender on the other side. She lifted her nose and took a deep breath. The smell of sweet food wafted into her nose and her stomach empty stomach cried in protest. She looked down at the Kerieq in her arms.

"Smell that Om? It's fried quell, your favorite." The small animal mewled excitedly and struggled against her hold. The girl's eyes widened at the sudden resistance and she tightened her grip on her pet. Om struggles intensified and began barking.

Saiyans to her right and left turned at the noise and glared at her, a silent warning in their eyes if she did not calm her pet.

"Sorry." She bowed at her left. "Sorry." She bowed at her right.

"Mommy mommy, look at her eyes! They're weeiirrdd!" The girl peeked through her overgrown bangs at a small boy who was tugging on his mother's tail and peering up at her.

"Shh! The Elites will be here soon." The mother reprimanded and tugged her tail from her son's grasp to wrap it around her waist. Her eyes remained fixed on the road, squinted and anxious.

The boy continued to stare at the girl, his childlike curiosity peeked. "Your eyes are weird!" He exclaimed. The girl flushed and her eyes darted about. This boy was drawing too much attention. "I know…" She whispered. "Why are we supposed to stand here?" She asked.

The boy's black eyes widened. "You don't know?" She shook her head. Alleys weren't exactly the best place to receive news. "The Elites are supposed to meet the King! We're supposed to greet them weird girl."

The girl nodded. The Elites: specially trained, cold blooded, saiyan warriors. They protected Planet Vegeta. They were to be celebrated, revered, and respected. But she had always thought that they were just over glorified monkeys in armor.

"I'm gonna be an Elite some day!" The boy informed her, chest puffed and fists secured on his waist. The girl regarded him. She looked at his oversized clothes and dirty skin. Her eyes saddened while his sparkled. Someone (most likely his mother) had forgotten to inform the boy that only children born of high status had the privileged of becoming an Elite. The girl decided she would not be the one to crush the boy's dreams.

"Look! The Elites." A voice from the crowd announced. Almost immediately an unmistakable wave of anxiousness and nervousness swept through the crowd.

A sharp bark turned her attention to the still struggling Kereiq in her arms. "Stay still Om! They'll be here soon!" She whispered hastily before she watched how everyone's posture stiffened and they struck their right fist to their hearts. She shifted Om into her left arm and did the same.

The girl could her the marching from all the way down the street and honestly she didn't understand why they were walking when they were perfectly capable of flying. Nonetheless she watched as their silhouettes became clearer as they drew near. Soon they became visible. Their exaggeratedly polished white and gold armors forced her to squint her eyes.

"Screeeek!" The ear piercing shriek of protest was the only sign of warning she got before Om leapt out of her arm and raced across the street, hunger crazed eyes set on the quell vender, or more specifically what he was selling.

"Om!" The girl called after him before she too sprinted down the street. Gasps of horror rang through the crowd but the girl kept running after her pet. Perhaps if she weren't so focused on white fur, she might have noticed the steel leg in her way before she crashed into it.

"Ouch…" She mumbled while she rubbed her noticeably swollen forehead through her bangs. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had just done. She scrambled to her feet and bowed repeatedly. "S-Sorry. Sor—" A sharp slap to her face interrupted her apology and sent her crashing face first into the granite road.

"Insolent pest." An unforgiving voice snarled. "Get up." The man commanded. Painfully she stood on quaking legs and walked—eyes downcast—to stand in front of the Elite, only to be sent sprawling to the ground by another merciless slap.

She was going to die. She knew to she was going to die. After all those were the rules: disrespect someone of higher status and they had every right to take your inferior life. There were rare occasions were the offender's life was spared but something about how the man's black, soulless eyes bore into her told her she would not receive such a pardon. She closed her eyes, preparing for the fatal blow, but if she was being honest she did _not_ feel like forfeiting her life for scoffing the man's unnecessarily shiny boot.

She peeked through her bangs to see the ball of energy gathering in the man's hands, aimed at her.

She waited for the blow, for the feel of unbearable pain, for death. But it never came. She peeked through her bangs to see the ball of energy die down and eventually disappear. Highly relieved, but still confused, she stared at the man, or more specifically, the hand that firmly gripped his shoulder.

The girl's eyes traveled up from the hand, to an arm, and eventually a male's body.

"We don't have time for this Daiko. King Vegeta is waiting." The man said. The girl almost sighed in relief, believing the man had saved her life. That is until his uncaring, black eyes glanced at her and he smirked. "You can carry out your little…_execution _later."

Her soon to be executioner, Daiko, eyed that man before rolling his eyes and shrugging the other Elite's hand off. "Fine." He ground out and his eyes snapped to her. He took two steps towards where she lay and roughly grabbed her arm.

"You're coming with m— fuck!" The man howled in pain and clutched his boot. A flash of white passed through her line of sight before she could see Om standing in front of her, growling.

Daiko examined the needle like holes in his indestructible boot. The girl almost laughed, Om may have been small; barely the sized of her foot, but his teeth could cut through anything.

"You little shit." Was all Daiko said before he kicked Om to the side, sending him a good distance away. The girl screamed in horror when Om wouldn't move and rushed to his side. "Om! Om! Don't worry, you're gonna be ok. You're gonna be just fine."

Om weakly mewled as she scooped him into her arms.

"Where do you think you're going, brat?" Came a mocking voice from behind her. She turned to glare at the man hatefully, and for a moment the force of her turn blew her bangs from her face. Daiko's eyes widen before his face morphed into a vicious and condescending smirk.

"So, you're a freak are you? Well this just got a whole lot more interesting." He laughed and her tail bristled underneath her skirt.

His hands latched onto her arms and she struggled violently, kicking and screaming, while he dragged her down the road.

The parade continued as if nothing happened.

**.0.**

"They're late." King Vegeta said from his throne. It was but an observation as his obsidian eyes swept through his troops of elites and yet, a slight irritation lay buried in said observation, one the golden-and-white-clad warriors had no intention of digging up or into.

"It must be an urgent matter your majesty. Group Alpha 1-C should be here soon." An elder spoke as he stroked his graying beard.

King Vegeta eyed him for a moment before he nodded. "We will wait."

They waited for some time before the door beeped and slid open. The missing group marched in rows of five and with emotionless faces. They all looked the same to King Vegeta: lifeless, like dolls that could only take and carry out orders. And it was because they all looked the same to him that he was shocked when a top elite strode in with a small girl and what looked an animal, in tow. King Vegeta observed the scene from his throne. He watched the Elite's angry face and the way the girl glared with a defiant glint in her eye. At least he assumed that was what she was looking at the elite with. He did not know. He could not see her eyes.

King Vegeta observed for some time before his interest was spent and he spoke. "You're late."

The Elite quickly turned his attention to the man sitting on the throne and struck his gloved fist to his heart and bowed. "My apologies my king. We ran into a slight…_problem._" He grounded out the last word with indignation while glancing at the girl.

The girl rolled her eyes and almost followed through with the urge to spit on Daiko's shoes. The King's eyes snapped in her direction and for a moment, she feared he had caught the small act of disrespect.

"And you brought a girl…why?" King Vegeta asked, not at all curios but he felt the need to ask.

"The chit had the audacity to disrespect me at the parade your majesty."

"I only scoffed your boot you pompous ape!" The girl yelled defiantly. King Vegeta hummed before he waved a hand.

"Do what you must and get rid of that ridiculous animal." He said. Daiko smirked in triumph and tightened his grip on the fur ball in his hand; the animal released a small squeak of pain and the girl clenched her fists.

"Don't touch him." She growled and King Vegeta's brows rose.

His hand reached to activate his scouter, and he watched—becoming increasingly interested—as the girl's power level rose.

An elder to his left noticed. "Your majesty—" He was cut off by a quick raise of King Vegeta's hand.

Daiko, too wrapped up in his own ego to take notice of the girl's climbing power, continued to taunt her and waved the nearly dead animal in her face, out of her reach. "What? Do you care for this worthless animal? Hmm, I supposed it is only natural for you _freaks_ to associate with your kind." He let out a chortle and his colleagues joined in as they jabbed their elbows into each other's sides. The girl felt as if her skin had been lit on fire with rage.

"I'll kill you." She hissed, too low for anyone to hear.

"What was that?" Daiko leaned in towards her, with a grin splitting his face as he continued to squeeze the life out of the Kereiq.

"I'll kill you!" She shrieked and before she could process what she was doing, she grabbed Daiko by his hair and flung him across the room as if he weighed nothing more than a doll.

Silence took hold of those in the room in an unrelenting grip and her deep breaths reverberated around the room.

But the girl still felt the red haze of anger cloud her mind and Ki gathered into her small hands. She screamed as she released them in blinding streams of light and the bolts hit Daiko's twitching body. The wall behind Daiko's body crumbled and his leg's hung out of the wide hole in the wall.

Her energy died down and the glowing blue light of Ki in her hands faded. She continued to breath deeply until a heavy hand clasped her shoulder firmly.

This time she didn't flinch nor did she jerk away, instead she turned to look into the glacial, black eyes of King Vegeta. Something about the way he stared at her shook her out of her blood lustful rage. It was as if she was looking into the mouth of a dark hole and having the gnawing feeling that something non too pleasant was staring back, waiting to strike.

She looked down at her hands, horrified. Charred strands of Daiko's hair had caught between her fingertips, reminding her of what she had just done.

She'd killed someone, murdered a man.

"He's not dead." A deep, guttural voice spoke from behind her. She turned to face the King once again, but his eyes were no longer on her. They were focused on the gaping hole in the wall, head tilted, as if he was contemplating something.

Before she could reply, he turned, his red cape brushed across her face.

"Come." Was all he said, but it commanded nothing short of obedience. She nodded at his back, turned to gather Om's still body in her arms, and followed him out of the room, ignoring the sudden burst of murmurs that followed with their absence.

She stumbled after the large man, struggling to keep up with his long strides, before they reached the outside of the assembly house. The girl looked around, confused, and she barely had time to speak before the King grabbed her by the scruff of her back collar and shot into the air.

She let out a squeak and squeezed Om to her body. She did not dare open her eyes. She was petrified of heights. She tried to focus on the wind blowing across her face but she couldn't. It made her nauseous, and she couldn't quite ignore the fact that she was being suspended in air by a man's fingers.

They flew for a while (he flew, she held on for dear life) until they reached the edge of a huge gorge. He descended and the girl leapt out of his grasp, never having been happier to feel the solid ground beneath her feet.

"You have great potential… such untapped power." She found the King standing by the edge of the gorge, his cape billowing in the wind. It took a moment for her to compute his words and when she did, they left her utterly confused. _Potential? Power? Untapped? Great?_

This day had certainly proved to be the strangest of any. She had angered an elite, almost killed said elite, met King Vegeta, and had been dragged through the air by King Vegeta; all to end up standing behind him, over a gorge. She silently praised herself for managing to stay alive.

"Come." King Vegeta called. She frowned, looking at Om's battered body and feeling his labored breaths. She did not have time for this; she had to take care of Om, granted she had no money to take him to a health facilitation, nor did she have any healing experience. What was she to do? Her best friend—the closest thing she had to family—was dying in her arms and she could do nothing to relieve his pain.

"It will die." The King said. The girl's eyes snapped to his unmoving back. She already knew that; she did not need anyone to relay that to her, to confirm her fears. She glared as the King turned, his huge arms crossed and his steely gaze focused on her. "Pass the challenge, and I will save its life. Fail, and you will both die. " He spoke. She did not have time to comprehend what he said, nor could she reply. All she could do was watch in stunned horror as King Vegeta appeared by her side, plucked Om from her arms and flung him over the edge.

Something akin to adrenaline pumped through her veins, laced with fear and shock as she watched Om's body disappear from her sight and into the gorge. The girl found her feet running, her muscles clenching, and an unknown power bursting within her, before she threw herself over the edge.

In that split moment, her fear of heights left her; it became a distant memory. She had to save Om. How she would do it, she had no idea, but it was far too late to realize the irrationally of her decision as she dove nose first after Om. The wind blew harshly at her; she could barely see Om's white fur as the wind deprived her eyes of moisture and whistled promises of death in her ears.

As her lithe body drew towards the small Kerieq, she extended her arm, grasped his body by the tip of his furs, and pulled him toward her body. Worst come to worst, they would both die together and she shut her eyes because for a moment, that didn't sound too horrible a death.

But then the girl no longer felt the wind slicing against her skin; she didn't feel her cheeks meeting her eyes, in fact she felt as if she were…_floating?_

She braved opening one eye and to not see the bushes and harsh ridges of the gorge rushing up to meet her forced her to open the other in astonishment.

She should have been terrified. She should have questioned her sanity. Hell, she should have dropped Om in her moment of shock, but she didn't. Somehow, this felt…natural.

_Flying _felt natural.

**.0.**

King Vegeta watched as the girl appeared from the side of the gorge with her animal clutched to her chest. Granted, she flailed in the air with inexperience, but nonetheless, to be able to possess such power at her age…

She landed cautiously and fell to her knees when her feet touched the ground. He allowed her to catch her breathe before her approached her.

"You've done well." He praised, although the compliment went unappreciated when she snapped her head up to him. She stood on shaking knees and shoved the dying creature into his chest gently.

"You promised you would heal him and I intend to hold you to your promise." She spoke; her stern demand masked the indignation in her voice and the tip of the mighty King Vegeta's lips twitched upward, and he gathered the animal in his arms.

Slowly, he knelt beside her and she took a tentative step backwards. The girl flinched when as the gloved hand reached for her face and brushed her heavy bangs aside, and for the first time in a long time someone stared into her eyes, the same one she shied away from.

"…Silver. So strong and brazen." The King whispered. The girl ripped her face from his touch and her bangs fell back into place. The King's hand dropped.

"Do not hide them. Your eyes, or your tail." The long appendage twitched under her skirt.

"Your animal is dying. Come." The King turned swiftly and began to walk. The girl stiffly nodded and followed after him, until he stopped and turned once again.

"What is your name?"

Her head cocked to the side as she fidgeted under his obsidian gaze. "Niona." She said.

The King nodded, satisfied. "…Niona…_'of the Noble'_. It suits you." Was all he said before he caught the scruff of her shirt and took off into the air.

Perhaps it was because of the near-death experience, or the fact that she knew she could fly on her own, but this time, as she felt the wind in her face, she did not cower from it, but embraced it.

**.0.**

**It's been a while since I've wrote anything and I'm trying a new story while I work on my pre-existing ones. I got the idea for this story because to be honest, I loathe the females characters in the 'Dragon Ball' series, so I decided to make one of my own. In case you didn't notice, I plan for Niona (it is supposed to mean 'of the noble' but honestly the name was inspired by 'Onion') to take Goku's place in the original show but Goku himself will still be in the story, just not as important. This is NOT an OC/King Vegeta fanfic its an OC/Vegeta fanfic, I just wanted to give the story a sort of strong prologue. **

**Tell me what you think in your reviews and recommend this story to your friends if you like it.**

**Peace!**

**-Crims.**

**PS: This is a link to a picture of Om if you are curios to what he looks like.**

.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

—**Crims.**

**.0.**

"Eat." Niona flinched at the command, and peered through her bangs to stare at the stoic ruler of their world. King Vegeta sat at the end of the long, transparent table, in his throne-like chair, with arms crossed, and black eyes steely.

"Where is Om?" She asked cautiously, ignoring the large spread of food, despite her suffering stomach. "You creature is being attended to. You need not worry, I have nothing to gain from his death; I won't harm him." The King answered, with a wave of his gloved hand.

"I don't trust you. You tried to kill Om." Niona clutched her ruined skirt in a tight fist and glared at the King with a concealed frown. King Vegeta nodded as if she had a valid point. "That is understandable. However, putting your creature's life in danger was the only way to confirm something." He raised a goblet to his lips.

"You mean my 'potential'? But what if I hadn't…flown?" The whole question seemed off to her, like the words had no business coming out of her mouth. The Kings eyes slid to hers, or what little glances he could see through her hair. "Simple: you would be dead." He said it like it was an irrefutable truth, and Niona did not doubt that it was.

She did not ask any more questions, but instead pick up a fork and devoured the food set in front of her. Saiyans were infamous for their hunger, which was only intensified after partial starvation.

The formidable King watched the small girl consume twice her weight in food. Even to him, the whole situation seemed laughable, like the beginning of a bad joke with a painful punch line. But nonetheless, the girl was a freak, one with power most Saiyans in his elite army did not come close to. He had doubted the readings on his scouter, but a machine could never lie. Still he had tested her, and she passed with flying colors. As Dirty and disrespectful as she was, he could see the flames of will in her eyes, defiant and burning, refusing to be put out. A decisive smirk settled on the King's angular face, concealed by the goblet he held by the tips of his fingers. He would kindle this flame, nurture it, nourish it, and feed its destructive nature.

Niona licked her lips, satisfied, and set down the fork. "Come. You may see your creature now." King Vegeta stood and walked towards her. She nodded and jumped from the seat; her feet did not reach the floor while sitting. She walked behind him, his large frame and wide-spreading cape blocking most off her vision. When they exited the room, the Elites that stood by the entrance bowed, threw her questioning and disgusted gazes, before they began to follow her and the King, like the dutiful servants they were. Niona felt sorry for them, as unkind as they were. To bare the will of another with more power than you…it seemed like a cruel fate. But her mother had taught her that not everyone thought the same. There were those who would trade anything—mind, body, or soul—for power and wealth. Greed could be a very powerful tool.

A quick shove to her back stilled her thoughts and confused her steps. She quickly regained composure so as to not bump into the King before she turned to glare at the elite who followed directly behind her. His face showed innocence but the subtle snickering of the Elites at his sides told her otherwise. She held her glare for some seconds before turning around to continue walking, only to find that their small entourage had stopped. The Elites behind her bowed, but she could not see at whom.

"Son." The King gave a small nod. His voice had lost a fraction of the chilliness she was always addressed with. _He must love his son, _was her first thought.

Niona heard a soft grunt in response. She leaned a bit to the right of King Vegeta and sure enough, Prince Vegeta stood in front of his father, with his own trail of servants. Her ever-curious eyes roamed his form. He looked to be a few years older than her, but they were the same height. His inky black hair was styled the same way as his father's. In fact, the prince was the spitting image of his father: cold, controlling, and royalty. The prince's eyes glanced at her partially hidden form, before he raised a brow questionably. "What is that?"

Niona frowned behind her mess of dark locks. So now she was a 'what'? The prince was now on her list for people she disliked. Niona noticed just then that said list had been getting longer lately.

"She is to be my new protégé." King Vegeta answered, with a steely look to his son. Prince Vegeta disregarded his father's silent warning, with a scoff. "Another one? Honestly, father I do not see why you insist on training these commoners. They shall never amount to anything. I mean look at her, so unruly and filthy." The prince did not bother eyeing her with disgust, his voice said it all, nor did he gesture at her, they all knew who he was referring to.

The news of being the Kings protégé was new to her, but it did explain his interest in her supposed "potential". However, Niona was too angry to be surprised.

"You are so quick to judge." She stepped out from behind the King. All present Saiyans—besides the prince and king—reared back in shock. Niona was fed up; this whole situation confused and angered her. She pointed an angry finger at the prince who stared at it with distain. "I think its only fair I return the favor. You are a pompous, ignoramus, glorified monkey who thrives on the submission of others. You have no real power of your own. The respect you receive is built on the authority of your father and royal blood. You are no prince of mine, and you never will be." She finished with a slight pitch in her voice, not a loud one, but sturdy enough to convey her indignation.

The prince stared at the girl in front of him, eyes wide and jaw slackened. He could barely see her face and the stench from her attire was starting to hurt his nose but the fury she had ignited was not easily forgotten. With his composure restored, Prince Vegeta squared his shoulders to seem taller and squinted his eyes in a glare. Niona would have been intimidated if not for the blinding feeling of rage that settled in her blood and clouded her senses.

"Enough." The short but stern command from the King seemed to bring Niona back to her senses. She regretted what she had done, but was nonetheless glad she had done it.

"Are you going to let her speak to me this way father?!"

The King turned to his protégé. "You shall not speak to my son that way." Niona crossed her arms and turned away. King Vegeta turned to his son. "Learn some self-respect. Most of what she said is not wrong. Come, Niona." The small girl looked between the impartial father and an enraged son, before following the King.

She could feel the Prince's onyx eyes sear hatred into her neck.

**.0.**

"Om!" Niona cried once she caught a glimpse of white fur. But as much as she wanted to pull the animal into her arms, a glass orb attached to multiple tubes and filled with a strange liquid stood in her way. "Why is he in here?"

The King not more than a few steps behind her ignored her question and instead turned to speak to the hunched Saiyan dressed in white, whom she had unceremoniously shoved out of the way with unneeded force to get to Om. "Has it healed enough to be released?"

The Saiyan glared at Niona who offered a sheepish grin as an apology, before clearing his throat. "Yes your majesty. However, I cannot help but wonder where you encountered such an animal; they are quite rare, especially one of this coloration."

"Hmm." King Vegeta turned to the girl who stood with hands pressed against the glass, with a concerned face for the creature that floated in it. "Your creature suffered injuries that were quite severe but he has healed." He turned back to the Saiyan dressed in white. "Release it."

The Saiyan—Niona had now identified him as a healer—nodded and turned to push a button, which drain the orb and released Om. The Kerieq fell in her arms, unconscious, but free of wounds. "Your pet will be unconscious for sometime. These healing chambers are meant for Saiyans, not animals." The Healer informed her. Niona nodded. "Thank you." She nodded her head in gratitude before she left the room, in tow of the King.

**.0.**

"You will stay here for the time being. Do not get comfortable, you wont be here for long." King Vegeta had swiftly afterwards. Niona sighed and turned to face her room, or prison, she preferred to deem it the latter. This whole business was too complex for someone her age to begin to make sense of. She hugged Om closer to her body, seeking comfort.

The room looked as cold as it felt, even with the rays of light that bled through the window. This was most likely the simplest room in the palace, aside from the servants' quarters. There was only a simple bed, and a desk, all in the same blue and red shades. Even as simple as the room was, Niona felt horribly out of place. King Vegeta did not have to worry: she would never be able to make herself comfortable.

She sat at the edge of the bed, while cradling Om in her arms. If there was anything redeeming about the situation, it was that Om was alive, albeit unconscious, but alive. She set him down gently before crawling to sleep by his side.

One thing was certain: Niona feared what was to happen tomorrow.

**.0.**

Her morning was not horrible, largely due to the fact that she had woke to a conscious Om licking her face. She sat up quickly.

"Om! You're awake!" She pulled the animal into her arms and petted his fur, before holding him up to check for any remaining bruises. She found none, to her relief. The Kerieq struggled to be set free. Niona complied and set him on the bed.

"You missed a lot Om. I met King Vegeta, and now he's going on about my 'potential', whatever that means. You remember those elites?" The Kerieq's fur spiked and he replied with a series of hisses and growls. Niona gave a small smile. "Yeah…them. I don't think they like us very much. Actually I don't think they like anyone who isn't noble-born. And don't even get me started on that prince! He was so rude! I don't regret anything I said to him; he deserved it." Niona waited till she calmed down from her rant before continuing. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, Om. But I don't think I'm going to like it."

Om blinked owlishly at her but didn't respond because a knock at the door stole his attention from her.

"C-come in." Niona quickly patted her out-of-sorts-hair and righted herself just as the door opened and a servant entered, eyes lowered. "His majesty requests your presence in the council room." Her voice was very monotone, like she was only doing and saying as she was told. Niona supposed she was.

"I don't know where the council room is." The servant nodded. "I was instructed to bring you." Niona was less than excited to be 'summoned' but she got the feeling that the servant wouldn't leave until she had carried out the order. "Fine." Niona muttered and hopped off the bed ungracefully. Om did the same and trotted behind her as she walked over to the older woman. "Please follow me." The woman said with a bow of her head.

Niona didn't bother to keep track of where they were going so that she could find her way back, after all King Vegeta had made it clear that her stay was not going to be a long one. She kept her head down, and clutched Om to her chest. "We've arrived." The servant's voice startled Niona, who jerked her head up in surprise and came face to face with gold doors. Niona swallowed and took numerous clumsy steps back. The servant woman caught her elbow before she could flee. "King Vegeta requires you behave yourself," she said and with a steely grip on Niona's elbow, pushed open the doors and pushed Niona inside, before slamming the door closed.

Niona froze as all conversations ceased and all calculating eyes turned to her. The cold atmosphere was unnerving and Niona did not dare move. Soldiers stood uniformly on either side of her. Elder council members sat beside the thrones of the King and prince, and anyone else of importance was scattered about the room.

"Generous of you to join us." The King descended from his place on the throne and walk to stand in front of Niona.

"That is the girl you spoke of, my lord?" An elder on the council spoke, disbelief dripping from his aged voice.

"She is." King Vegeta confirmed.

"B-but my lord, she hardly looks…appropriate. It's preposterous!" The old Saiyan ranted. His fellow elders nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps you would like a demonstration?" The suggestion silenced the elders and dread swept over Niona. Before she could process it, the King snatched Om from her arms. Niona raised her arms in protest, reaching for Om. Although there were no cliffs nearby, She Niona feared for her companion's life.

"Son." Vegeta slid his uninterested eyes from his glove to his father.

"Yes father?"

_No! _Niona thought.

"Kill it." A revengeful smile slowly made its way to his face and Niona felt like she was going to be sick. The prince leapt from his throne, grabbed the gun of a nearby guard, aimed at Om, and fired.

A screamed ripped from Niona's throat as she watched Om's body fall from the King's hand and land, unmoving, in a painful 'thud'. Niona rushed to his side, refusing to believe what had happened.

"Om?! Om wake up! Don't die! Om! Please wake up! Please…?" Tears wet the hair that covered her eyes as she sobbed.

The taunting laughter of the soldiers, council elders, and the prince flooded her ears, dizzying her with rage. "You murdered him…you murdered him…" It seemed like that was the only thing she could say.

"What?" Prince Vegeta questions in-between laughs. His chuckles died when glowing silver eyes bore into him with unconcealed hatred. The scouter hanging on his ear malfunctioned and fell to smoking pieces by his boot.

"You murdered him…YOU MURDERED OM!" The room quieted, and the air became a vacuum, one, which Niona stood at the center of.

Her skin audibly sizzled, her hair stood on end, and her eyes flashed. The Prince stepped back, a sweat building on his quivering brow.

There was a long pause, foreboding and menacing, before she lunged.

"Mew."

And just like that, the vacuum dissipated, her hair calmed and fell against her eyes. Niona rushed back to Om's side. "Om? But…you were dead."

"The gun merely stunned him. You over-reacted." King Vegeta spoke. Heads turned to him, surprised, as if everyone had forgotten he was there. The King walked across the room to sit on his throne. His hand gestured to her and addressed the crowd. "You asked for a demonstration. Satisfied?" No one dared answer.

"Very." A voice spoke from behind Niona. She turned to face a muscled man with a scar on his angular face. His armor was minimal and a red cloth was tied around his spiked hair.

"Ah. You've arrived. Niona, this man will be your mentor." Niona continued to stare at the man, who looked at her with a stoned face but interested eyes.

"His name is Bardock."

**.0.**

**Yes, Vegeta is a brat and yes; it took me a while to update. Stay tuned!**

—**Crims.**


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